Quick-action wrench.



S. LAUFF.

QUICK ACTION WRENCH. APPLICATION man MAR. l0, 1914.

1,136,540. Batented. Apr. 20, 1915.

MW 7?; 45%! WUJ-MM.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHOTO-LJTHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

anion.

SAMUEL LAUFF, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

QUICK-ACTION WRENCH.

maestro.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed March 10, 1914. Serial N 0. 823,648.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL LAUFF, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, and a resident of l/Vaterbury, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Quick-Action Wrenches, which improvements are fully setforth 1n. the following specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices of that classavailable for manipulating nuts, suitably-headed bolts, and the like,and each thereof embodying a'pairof jaws, one of which is adjustable,slowly through the medium of coacting threads or quickly through theannulment of the coacting relation of said threads, toward and away fromthe other, such dcvlces being well-designated quick-action wrenches. I

lhe object of this invention is to provlde a wrench of the characterabove indicated, which shall be simple and comparatively inexpensive asregards its construction; durable, efficient and reliable in practicalservlce; markedly convenient in its application to practical purposes,and which shall possess certain well-defined advantages over prioranalogous devices.

The invention consists in the combinations, details and parts whereby,together with the novel disposition and relative arrangement of saidparts, the attainment of the foregoing object is rendered practlcable,all of which will be hereinafter more specifically referred to and setforth in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein;-

Figure l is a side elevation of quickaction wrench embodying my saidimprovements. Fig. 2 is a plan View, showing the same as it appears whenturned obversely on its longitudinal axis ninety degrees from theposition it is shown as occupying in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetail view, the shank, including the fixed jaw conjoined therewith,being shown in side elevation, and the adjustable jaw, including certainparts supported thereby, being mainly shown in central-vertical,longitudinal section, as along the broken line wm of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is aview partly in rear elevation, and partly in cross-section, as along thebroken line g y of Fig. 1, of the movablejaw extension. Fig. 5 is a viewshowing in perspective and detached, the screw-controlling arbor madeuse of.

Having reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein similarreference-numerals denote like parts throughout the respective views, Imake use, in carrying out my lnvention, of a stock or shank 2, fitted atone end thereof with a handle 2, at its opposite end with a fixed jaw 2,and provided along its lower edge with segmental threads 3; also ajaw-extension 3, fitted with a jaw 3", strapped to the shank 2, formovement to and fro therealong and as through the medium of upstandingyokes 4, 4, whereby the jaw 8 becomes adjustable relatively toward andaway from the jaw 2", and cut away from its under side upwardly, as at4", for the accommodation of a c1rcumferentially threaded screw 5, thethreads of the latter normally engaging the segmental threads 3, andwhereby the adjustability of the jaw 3 relatively to the jaw 2" may beeffected and controlled, all as in common practice.

In practice it frequently becomes desirable that the extension 3, withthe jaw 3 carried thereby, may be oppositely adjusted between more orless distantly separated points along the shank 2, and independently ofthe threads, respectively, aforenamed; and as a condition precedent tothis end is the disengagement of the circumferential threads afforded bythe adjusting-screw 5 from the segmental threads 3, or vice versa, 1loosely mount said adjusting-screw on a reciprocating arbor 5, whichworks longitudinally at its inner end in a socket 5", formed in theextension 3, at the inner side of the screw 5, and in a bushing 5', atthe opposite side of said screw, said bushing bemg pinned or otherwisefastened within an opening 6, formed in the extension 3 at the rearend-portion thereof, and in axial alincment with the socket 5.

Arbor 5 varies diametrically in a manner to insure the formationtherefor of an annular shoulder 6, the inner end-portion thereof beingof greater diameter than the remaining, or outwardly extending portionthereof, and said shoulder is, by preference, tapered, or generallyinclined, from the circumference of the enlarged portion of arbor 5 tothe circumference of the reduced portion thereof, this being advisablefor a purpose which Will more clearly hereinafter appear Arbor 5projects more or less rearwardly from the extension 3, and is providedat its outer end with a terminal stop or disk 6". Encircling the exposedportion of the arbor 5, between the disk 6 and a fixed element inadvance thereof, as the bushing 5, or rear face of the extension 3,there is interposed a spiral spring 7, whose tendency at all times is toelastically hold the arbor 5 to the limit of its endwise play,rearwardly, and under which adjustment of the parts the adjusting-screw5 occupies the aforenamed enlarged portion of said arbor, with itscircumferential threads engaging the segmental threads 3; while, uponsaid arbor being duly thrust endwise forwardly, against the tendency ofthe spring 7 said enlarged portion of the arbor 5, passing into thesocket 5", will be replaced relatively to the adjusting-screw 5, by thereduced portion of arbor 5, under which condition of the parts clearanceis provided whereby the adjusting-screw 5 may recede, or be caused torecede, from the shank 2 a distance sufficient to insure disengagementof the circumferential threads aforenamed from the segmental threads 3,thus liberating the extension 3 and permitting quick adjustment thereofto and fro along the shank 2, as will be readily understood. The arbor 5being released for response tothe action of the spring 7, that sectionof the re duced portion of said arbor now occupied by the adjusting-screw 5 will be replaced by the 3 enlarged portion thereof, thearbor moving endwise outwardly, thus causing the shoulder 6 to pick upthe adjusting-screw 5 and urge the same in the direction of the shank 2a distance sufficient to cause reengagement of the segmental threads 3by the circumferential threads afforded by said adjustingscrew, underwhich condition of the parts, as will be readily understood, theextension 3 may be adjusted to and fro along the shank 2, only by dulyturning the adj ustingscrew aforenamed. The adjusting-screw 5 has alongitudinal bore 7, which coincides, approximately, in diameter withthe diameter of the enlarged portion of the arbor 5, said bore being, bypreference, duly flared at that end thereof adjacent to the shoulder 6,substantially as shown in Fig. 3. As will be seen, the inclining of theshoulder 6 facilitates the picking-up, as above alluded to, of theadjusting-screw thereby, the attainment of this result be ing,incidentally, still further facilitated by flaring the bore 7, asstated. The

opening 6 is of sufficient diameter to permit passage of the arbor 5,with its enlarged portion aforenamed, endwise therethrough, as in theoperation of assembling the parts.

The practical operation of my present improved wrench will be apparentfrom the foregoing description thereof. It will also be seen that thesame is well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended, andfurther that the same may be modified to a considerable extent,particularly as regards the specific form of the reciprocating arbor 5,the means availed of for elastically controlling the same, and variousminor details of the general construction, without departing from thespirit and principle of my invention, as expressed and coming within thescope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim:

1. A wrench comprising a segmentally threaded shank; a. jaw-extensionslidably mounted thereon; an arbor reciprocable axially only, varying indiameter for the formation therefor of an annular shoulder, andsupported by said jaw-extension, the shoulder aforenamed being dulyinclined and a circumferentially threaded adjusting-screw, saidadjusting-screw loosely mounted on said arbor and adapted to be therebycontrolled in a manner to releasably hold its circumferential threads innormal engagement with the segmental threads of the shank aforenamed.

2. A wrench comprising a shank affording segmental threads; ajaw-extension having a cut-out for the reception of an adjustingscrewand provided at its rear end with an opening and forwardly of saidcut-out with a socket, the latter and said opening arranged in axialalinement and communicating, respectively, with the cut-out aforenamed;a bushing in said opening; a springcontrolled arbor arranged toreciprocate endwise in said socket and bushing, travers ing the cut-outaforenamed, and having an inclined, annular shoulder; and acircumferentially threaded adjusting-screw, the latter loosely mountedon said arbor, Within said cut-out, and adapted to be thereby controlledin a manner to releasably hold its circumferential threads in normalengagement with the segmental threads of the shank aforenamed.

SAMUEL LAUFF.

lVitnesses JAMES P. BRAYTON, ETHEL M. HANCHETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

